Olivier Rouiller

As I completed the first level of my Hakomi somatic psychotherapy training, I began working with clients in real-world conditions. My practice remained modest, within the scope of my abilities, but I had the honor of encountering many different systems and following two patients regularly. The clients I worked with are generally individuals with extensive psychotherapy experience who are turning to somatic therapy.

Notably 'N', whom I followed for over a year with nearly weekly sessions, presented an avoidant attachment style. We worked to enable him to connect with his attachment needs and to feel more emotions.

I also worked regularly with 'H', who is simultaneously a friend, meditator, and apprentice in therapy and other somatic practices. With him, the work leaned more towards personal development, but we addressed quite early traumas.

My practice's website is online www.re-connected.fr

For several years, I maintained a relationship with Emil, a young man living in my neighborhood with a relatively precarious situation and little support.

Emil was a foreigner who had lived in Sweden since his adolescence but was poorly integrated into society, estranged from educational and professional environments, and had little contact with his parents. He was relatively isolated and held rather conservative worldviews, at odds with the Swedish attitude. He tended to be distrustful, sometimes with black-and-white reasoning and a certain adherence to conspiracy theories. These ideas and attitudes tended to put him in conflict with the people he interacted with.

For several years, I maintained a friendly and supportive relationship with him; during certain periods, I would meet him once a week for coffee or a walk, where my role was largely to listen. I did not get into conflict over his unpopular opinions, without adhering to them myself, which allowed me to gain his trust. I was able to observe his biases and understand how they revolved around more fundamental feelings of mistrust, without attempting to change these beliefs, as I was not his therapist, simply a support and a friend.

In this relationship, I developed my listening skills and a benevolent, supportive attitude. I am happy to have been able to support him during that period. I learned to be in a relationship where I gave more attention than I received, and I learned to appreciate this position. Today, he has returned to his home country and feels better there; ironically, his move happened only a month apart from my move to France!